The present invention relates to communication between users in diverse communication systems, and more particularly, to providing a broadband communication system including an Internet Protocol Telephony Network and public switched telephone network.
Present day telephony voice networks, have a network built around circuit switches, end offices, a toll network, tandem switches, and twisted wires. These voice networks are referred to as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or plain old telephone service (POTS). Due to bandwidth limitations of plain old telephone service (POTS), there is an inherent inability to efficiently integrate multiple types of media such as telephony, data communication for personal computers (PC), and television (TV) broadcasts. Accordingly, a new broadband architecture is required. This new architecture gives rise to a new array of user services.
Such present day telephony voice networks typically offer conference calling features, whereby three or more parties can talk with each other on a single conference call. However, a problem exists in that each party to the conference call requires a certain amount of reserved resources (e.g., a real or virtual circuit dedicated to each call). In other words, each party requires a certain amount of network bandwidth, even when a particular party is not speaking. Also, conventional conference bridges have physical ports to which parties may be connected, and there are only so many physical ports that a conference bridge may have. There is thus a real and practical limitation to the number of callers that may be placed on a single conference call in a conventional telephony network.
Also, in current conference calling systems, it is difficult to know when a new attendee has called in to a conference call. It is also difficult to remember, or keep track of, who is participating in a given conference call, especially when the number of attendees is relatively large. It would be desirable to provide a way to automatically announce who is calling in to a conference call, as well as a way of keeping track of the participants.
Aspects of the invention include to providing broadband access capabilities or enhanced services for use in conjunction with a packetized network such as an Internet Protocol (IP) based system infrastructure.
Other aspects of the invention include providing one or more of the following either individually, or in any combination or subcombination:
a new broadband architecture;
broadband network capabilities, including local access; and
enhanced services for use in conjunction with a packetized network such as an Internet Protocol (IP) based system infrastructure.
For example, an aspect of the present invention provides for an apparatus and method for combining IP packet streams in a conference call into a combined IP packet stream, such that the combined IP packet stream utilizes no more bandwidth than each of the original IP packet streams. This allows the traffic volume coming from, and arriving at, each party to a conference call to remain essentially the same no matter how many parties are connected to the conference call.
As another example, another aspect of the present invention provides for an apparatus and method for dynamically assigning conference call resources to a conference call. If it is determined that a server that is handling a conference call does not have sufficient resources to process an additional party to the conference call, then another server may be located that does have sufficient resources. The original server and the additional server may be configured to interwork with each other in order such that the additional party can be included in the existing conference call in a manner that appears seamless to the additional party. Such dynamic allocation of conference call resources also eliminates the need to pre-schedule such resources as is now required in existing systems.
Although the invention has been defined using the appended claims, these claims are exemplary and not limiting to the extent that the invention is meant to include one or more elements from the apparatus and methods described herein and in the applications incorporated by reference in any combination or subcombination. Accordingly, there are any number of alternative combinations for defining the invention, which incorporate one or more elements from the specification (including the drawings, claims, and applications incorporated by reference) in any combinations or subcombinations.